Metallic racket



"0a. 5, 1925. F. W. GOWER ET AL r METALLIC RACKET Filved June 6, 1925*AUN-EDT STiAfTrLjS` ears-NI OFFICE J Patented Cct. 6, 1925.

rRANcIsv WILLIAM GOWER, -o'F 'MosEL'EYg-BIRMINGHAVM, yHUGH .minus OWEN,for

'y BIIw'InrIELDs7 BIRMINGHAM,- INGHAM, ENGLAND.

AND ROBERT OHN NASH, Y(()lKCANNONHILI.''IBIIIRM-I Application fuedjune6, 1925." serialNo. 35,460. y f

T 0` all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that we, FRANCIS WILLIAM GOWEB, of Dunoon, Russell Road,Moseley, Birmingham, HUGH JAMES OWEN, of 110 Trinity Road, Birchfields,Birmingham, and ROBERT JOHN NASH, of 94 Oakfield Road, Cannon Hill,Birmingham, all in the county of Warwick, England, and all subjects ofthe King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Metallic Rackets, of which the following is aspecification.

Rackets for lawn tennis and like games are in vsome cases made frommetal, the

frame including the main members of the handle being form-ed from astrip or tube bent to the desired shape. The strikinor face isfrequently of wire interlaced in the frame, or in some cases a gutstriking face is laced into a metal frame.

The present invention concerns the construction of the handles of suchmetallic rackets, more particularly those handles comprising twoparallel or approximately parallel metal limbs extending from 'theframe.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction and method ofassembling the hand grip portion of such rackets.

This and other features will be hereafter more particularly describedwith reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings.

Figure 1 is a general plan view of a tennis or like racket whose handlelis made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2, is a horizontal longitudinal section of the inner end of thehandle.

Figure 3, is a plan of the inner end of one of the fillets. v

Figure 4, is a longitudinal section on 'the line 1f- 4; of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation in part section of the inner end of theassembled handle.

Figure 6, is a perspective view of the strut-enclosing channel member.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the cross strut. y y

Figure 8 is a section of the endiof the handle.

In the embodiment illustrated, the parallel side limbs a of the handleare substantially rectangular in section and are united by U-shapedcross struts b, the limbs c lofwhich are' riveted tol the respectiveside limbs of the handle.'y These Side vlimbs may be extended toconstitute the lframe d ofthe racket, as shown in Figure l, a spacingpiecey e being included where the limbs merge into the bow or frame. Y

The handle is assembled with a fillet or sheet metal channel member foneither side thereof, the edges of which are adapted to fit between the.side limbs a. At the end g of each fillet directed towards 'the innerend of the handle the channel sect-ionbecomes shallower, the resultbeing a tapering of the handle at this end as shown in Figure 5. Thisextremity ofI 'the fillet is provided with a small projecting tongue ofmetal h which is stamped into hook-section, the hooked part beingadapted to engage the transverse fastening piece b uniting the limbs ofthe handle. A stout sheet metal clinching piece i of channel section isemployed to enclose both the strut and the hook ends of the fillets, thewalls of this member being ressed around and firmly lockin together t esaid strut and fillet ends as s own in Figure 5. The edges of thefillets are adapted to rest upon a series of transverse struts which areriveted to the limbs at intervals throughout'the length of the handle asshown at 7e in Figure 5. A cap is used to close the outer extremity ofthe handle and may conveniently be in the shape of a shallow flanged cupm (Figure 8) around which the fillets and side limbs are secured byrivet-- ing or other means.

We claim 1. A racket for games comprising in combination a metallicframe of the usual bow form with the extremiti-escontinued parallel toeach other, but spaced apart to form a handle portion, distance piecessecured at intervals between said spaced extremitieaa pair of hollowmetal pressings secured opposite each other between said extremities,one end of each hollow pressing taperin toward and being engaged overone of sai distance pieces, said tapering end having a lip for thispurpose, means for embracing said distancepiece and the lips on saidpressings, and a suitable closure piece secured at the other ends ofsaid pressings.

' 2. The combination in a metallicy framed racket for games, of a handleportion havlocsy ing two limbs spaced apart, a distance piece securedbetween said limbs, a pair of hollow metal fillets for 'seating betweensaid limbs, each llet having a lip at its inner end to engage one edgeof said distance piece, a metal channel piece placed over said bridgepiece with its Aflangesv over said lips and being clinched thereon tosecure said fillets, and a hollow flanged closure cap secured betweenthe ends of the limbs to which the other ends of said filletsaresecured.

3. A metallic racket having a bent metal frame with parallel limbstoform a handle, cross struts secured at intervals between the limbs7hollow flanged pressings inserted on opposite sides of' the limbs withtheir flanges within the limbs and resting on the cross struts, extendedhook-lilfce-lips on the inner ends of the pressings to engage one of thecross struts and to be secured thereon by a clinched-over strip and aVsuitable closure piece secured to the pressings and thelimbs at theouter end of the handle.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

FRANCIS WILLIAM GOWER. HUGH JAMES OWEN. ROBERT JOHN NASH.

